Duin- en dekzandvorming in 'koude woestijnen'

The areal extent, geomorphology, sediment attributes, litho- and chronostratigraphy of the large Weichselian and Holocene 'sand belt' in the Northwestern and Central European lowlands have often been subject of research. However, the climatic conditions under which transport and sedimentation took place, the influence of permafrost and vegetation on form development, and the character of the most-probable fluvial source areas are difficult to reconstruct on the basis of the resultant form and sediment characteristics alone. Therefore comparative studies on eolian processes have been carried out in dune and cover sand areas in Northwestern Alaska and Western Greenland, where present day (periglacial) environmental conditions approach those prevailing during the Weichselian in Northwestern Europe.